Incredible Hulk #2

Here's a comic I didn't think I'd be reading... I figured I'd read the first issue of this series, hate it and drop it, and yet here I am, reading another issue of the Incredible Hulk. The first issue set up a lot of interesting stuff, here's hoping the hits keep on coming here.

Incredible Hulk #2:

What Happened: Bruce Banner is obsessed with recreating the only thing that made him feel like he had accomplished something in his life, the Hulk. To that end he's lost his wife Betty(who got sick of his obsession) and has been playing UBER-mad scientist, creating tons of Hulk-ish creatures, while being unable to transform himself into a Hulk again. Meanwhile, the Hulk is contacted by the Mad Squad, a group of government agents who kill mad scientists. The Squad try to convince Hulk to help them shut down Banner since he had been releasing tons of super-strong gamma creatures, but Hulk isn't interested and even after battling a few of said creatures, Hulk decides to head back to his new home with the moloids. However, this issue ends with two of Banner's gamma mutated creatures invading Hulk's moloid paradise and launching an attack before Hulk had returned.

The Good: I LOVED the Banner parts in this one. Jason Aaron has done a splendid job of making Bruce Banner crazy in just two issues... And not only that, but he's not just crazy for the sake of being crazy, his insanity is understandable. He had massive power, and no matter how much he whined about it, he enjoyed it. Plain and simple. The cliffhanger was perfect, because it will give Hulk a reason to stop ignoring Banner and to go and confront him. Hulk's reaction to the Mad Squad's request was reasonable, why should he care about Banner or what he does?

The Bad: On the other hand, I don't like this Mad Squad, and still don't get why one of them is named Von Doom... Hulk's portions of this story, while not awful, were kind of boring. It was basically Hulk saying, “I don't care about Banner.” and beating things up.

The Verdict: No complaints here. I've never cared much about the Hulk, but Jason Aaron is turning me into a fan of Bruce Banner. Banner's descent into madness was written very well by Aaron, and is perfectly understandable. But(you knew that was coming) the non-Banner portions of this comic did nothing for me. I don't care about Ms. Doom or her idiotic b-list monster squad, and Hulk's contribution to this story was basically him stating, repeatedly, that he didn't care about Banner. The ending was necessary, as it will cause Hulk to have to deal with Banner, which is a confrontation I'm dying to see.

Score: 8 out of 10.Oh Bruce... You so crazy!